Behind the myth of St Andrew

The age-old legend of Scotlands patron saint is nothing but a dodgy fairy tale, reveals the historian Simon Young, who cant help wondering why everyones so upset

There is a modern school of thought that says saints no longer matter. Their rusting reliquaries, yellowing bones and quaint stories belong to the Middle Ages and are an embarrassment in the enlightened era of the chav and the computer.

I am ashamed to say that, until a few weeks ago, the present author subscribed full-heartedly to this view. However, that all changed on the publication of a recent book of mine on the Dark Ages, where I had been foolish enough to claim that the legend of the Scottish patron saint Andrew was a fairy tale and that this holy man had as much to do with Scotland as Tutankhamen or the Chinese Ming dynasty.

The reaction to this act of impiety was surprising, immediate and overwhelming. Bloggers on the internet began to use my revelations to argue that Scotland should not declare St Andrew’s Day, November 30, a